Commoner Queen: Falling in Love with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince - Chapter 17

“Hmph! He might want her, but the Emperor certainly won’t. Think about it—would the Emperor allow his beloved Crown Prince to marry a woman cursed with bad luck? What if she ends up bringing misfortune to the Crown Prince himself? That would throw the entire empire into chaos!”

“That makes sense!” He clapped his hands in approval. “But the Emperor isn’t here right now, so…” He glanced at her meaningfully.

“Brother, leave this to me. The Emperor may not be here now, but he’ll show up soon. And when he does, I’ll make sure my dear niece secures her position as the Crown Princess,” she assured him.

“Thank you, Your Highness!” He beamed with delight. With his sister backing him, what was there to worry about?

Meanwhile, at the Murong residence:

“I refuse to enter the palace! What is going on? When did I ever sign up for this selection?” Murong Ziying was completely stunned as she turned to her father, Murong Xi. “Father, this has to be a mistake, right?”

The palace had unexpectedly sent officials to escort her, demanding that she dress up immediately and accompany them. They claimed that the Crown Prince was waiting for her at the selection ceremony. It was absurd! Why was she suddenly involved in this mess?

Murong Xi sighed, looking uneasy. “It’s not a mistake… but I never expected you to be chosen.”

“What?! So it was you who submitted my name?” She was shocked—what kind of father did she have?

“Ziying, don’t blame your father. He knows he made a mistake, but now there’s no way out,”  Madam Murong said anxiously.

“Why does the Crown Prince insist that I must participate?” Murong Ziying couldn’t understand.

“Because it is his royal decree, and no one can disobey. Just hurry up and get dressed—you must go with the officials to the palace!” Madam Murong said helplessly.

She and her husband had originally planned to send Ziying away as soon as the selection ended, hoping to shield her from gossip. But they never imagined that the Crown Prince himself would take an interest in her.

“I won’t go! This whole thing is ridiculous. I refuse to enter the palace and make a fool of myself,” Murong Ziying protested.

She knew very well that there was no way the Crown Prince would truly choose her. He had never even seen her before! The only reason he summoned her must be because of all the rumors—he probably just wanted to see what kind of woman was supposedly cursed to bring misfortune to her husbands. Maybe he even intended to humiliate her. Besides, she wasn’t really Murong Ziying. And in a palace full of women fighting to be the Crown Princess, she would be walking straight into danger.

“This isn’t up to you!” Murong Xi’s voice was filled with urgency. “Even if you don’t care about yourself, think about your mother and me!”

Murong Ziying sighed heavily. There was no avoiding this humiliation.

“Fine, I’ll go.” Whatever. In the end, she would return to the modern world. None of this would matter to her then.

“Good! Now hurry and get dressed. I’ll help you,” Murong Madam said, pulling her toward the dressing room.

“No need. It doesn’t matter how I look,” she said bitterly.

After all, they weren’t bringing her to admire her beauty. The only reason they wanted her there was to mock and disgrace her. But at least they weren’t mocking her—Murong Ziying was just an unfortunate woman.

Murong Madam understood her daughter’s thoughts all too well. She was just as frustrated. Sigh! Poor Ziying. This was all caused by that foolish old man, and now their daughter had to suffer the consequences. She shot a glare at Murong Xi.

Murong Xi shivered. He knew this was all his fault, but there was nothing he could do now. “Ziying, I’m sorry,” he said regretfully.

“Forget it, Father. I’ll go now,” she said flatly. Talking about it wouldn’t change anything. She could only leave it to fate.

“Ziying, wait!” Madam Murong called after her.